Commanders rumors: Washington’s ‘for life’ Terry McLaurin declaration amid holdout

By skipping mandatory minicamp, Terry McLaurin's contract dispute with the Washington Commanders continues to drag on. As the veteran receiver remains radio silent, the Commanders insist on re-signing their star pass-catcher.

Despite the growing friction, the Commanders want McLaurin to stay with the organization “for life,” ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported. Washington is simply having trouble coming up with the money to extend its former All-Pro, per Fowler.

“I talked to someone within the team who said, ‘Look, we want Terry McLaurin to be a Commander for life,'” Fowler said on ‘SportsCenter.' “It's just been probably a little slower than everyone expected. These are hard deals to do. That receiver market is over $30 million per year, and he's a star receiver. They got five or six weeks before camp to try and shake that out.”

The Commanders rank in the middle of the league with $21 million remaining in cap space, per Over The Cap. However, they have already spent big money on Dorace Armstrong, Frankie Luvu and Tyler Biadasz in free agency. Washington also acquired the massive contracts of Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil via trade.

The receiver market is not as lucrative as some other positions, but like many others, it continues to increase. Ja'Marr Chase, Stefon Diggs, Cooper Kupp, Tee Higgins and DK Metcalf all inked lucrative deals in the 2025 offseason. CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson and A.J. Brown were among those who previously raised the bar in 2024.

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Commanders pray Terry McLaurin contract situation ends

After the commotion they drummed up in free agency, McLaurin's situation is the only one the Commanders struggled with over the offseason. Washington beefed up its offense with several exciting additions, but is now in danger of losing arguably its most important asset.

Coming off Jayden Daniels' Rookie of the Year campaign, the Commanders were one of the most active teams in free agency. On top of Samuel, Tunsil and Biadasz, Washington also added Nick Allegretti, Josh Conerly Jr. and Michael Gallup, while re-signing veterans Austin Ekeler and Zach Ertz.

If the Commanders somehow lose McLaurin, it would be difficult to view their offseason as a positive, even with all their other moves. Washington's offense has revolved around McLaurin since his rookie season in 2019. ‘Scary Terry' is coming off his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season and seems like the perfect wideout to pair with McDaniels moving forward.